This application is copending with application Ser. No. 07/061,532 filed June 15, 1987 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,645. Key retainers, especially those having the capability of being carried within a user's pocket or wallet, have been well known for many years. Other than a conventional key ring, most key retainers are provided with securing means for holding the key(s) in a stored position within a housing or encasement, primarily to prevent the key(s), when placed in a user's pocket, from ripping and puncturing the fabric of the pocket. The securing means for holding the key in a stored position may also include a construction enabling one to manually manipulate or extend the key to a working locking/unlocking position, in other words, the key may be partially withdrawn from the retainer to expose the working end of the key.
There is known in the art key retainers equipped with slidable key securing means permitting a user to slide a key from a stored inoperative position to a partially stored (or attached) operative position. In such devices, the key is usually secured to a recess or channel provided in the retainer's housing via a pin or other securing means, in such manner as to allow the key to be partially withdrawn from the retainer. Segal U.S. Pat. No. 1,924,134; Williams No. 2,546,413; Leff No. 2,608,851; Abraham No. 3,224,052; and Shelton No. 3,315,505, all disclose key retainers including channels, guides or recesses for allowing a key(s) to be transferred from a stored position to a working position. However, while these above-discussed patents show key retainers which operate effectively and without much effort, the keys must be connected to the retainer's channel or guide via some type of connecting means, such as a pin or fastener positioned through the key's typical aperture, for allowing the keys to be manually manipulated or extended to working positions. Due to the construction of this type of key retainer, often times the pins or fasteners become dislodged from the keys (and recesses) especially after long periods of use, causing the keys to be either lost or misplaced from their retainers. In addition, key retainers having slidable key connecting means may be adapted to be carried within pockets, but due to the thickness of the retainer's structure, are not readily insertable within wallets and the like, and if inserted cause unwanted bulges.
Cheney U.S. Pat. No. 2,173,008, shows a key holder having a construction similar to those discussed above which incorporates a spring biased device to hold and secure the key within the retainer's channel. Spring-biased key retainers have the disadvantage of being difficult to manufacture and require the use of pins or screws to mount the springs to the retainer, the pins or screws frequently being dislodged after extended use of the retainer.
Starett U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,836,053 and 3,004,422, and Taylor U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,667, all disclose key holders which utilize pivotal key connecting means for pivotally swinging a key from within its holder to a position of operation. Again, while these patents show key retainers which operate without much effort, the keys must still be secured to the key connecting means via pins, rings or screws, which may have the tendency to be dislodged from the keys after the key holder has been used several times.
Magnetic type key holders have recently been available on the market which magnetically secure a key to the holder. For example, the Lee U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,338, discloses a magnetic receptacle for keys, but still requires the utilization of key rings to secure a key within a magnetic channel or recess.
Attempts have been made to provide a key retainer which may be inserted within the pockets or folds of wallets. For the most part, these retainers are formed of semi flexible or rigid stiff like materials for structuring and configuring the retainer to somewhat of a credit card like appearance, permitting the key retainer to be inserted and carried within the credit card pockets and folds of wallets. Kernicki U.S. Pat. No. 2,734,624, exemplifies a wallet-insertable key holder formed of molded stiff like plastic materials, including spaced-apart horizontally extending slits which define regions or bands for retaining keys therein. Such constructions have the disadvantage of the fact that since the keys are not connected to the bands, that is, the keys are held within the bands only due to the band's tendency to urge the keys against the planar surfaces of the holder, creates problems of the keys separating from the retainer when sliding a particular key from the holder to a position of operation.
Marks U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,716, illustrates a similar key retaining device having a generally card-like structure. The retainer is incorporated with a pressure resealable adhesively-coated lid, which retains keys and the like underneath the lid. A major disadvantage of such construction is that the lid has the tendency to become worn, messy and extremely cumbersome after repeated use. Moreover, the adhesive employed in this type of key retainer eventually comes into contact with the keys being retained, sticking thereto and consequently contacting the hands of the user.
Heretofore, there has been no key retainer or holder in the art having connection free key storing and serving means, and in particular, a key retainer adapted to be carried within a user's pocket or wallet without causing added bulges. The present invention further offers the advantage of providing a simple and practical key(s) retainer which can be easily and quickly assembled, is relatively inexpensive, and possesses the quality for long lasting use.